1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to telecommunications networks, and more particularly, to the analysis of traffic carrying capacity within telecommunications networks and the marketing of that capacity to communications users that need it.
2. History of the Related Art
Telephone instruments and other communications devices located in the same geographic area are conventionally connected to one another by means of switching equipment referred to as an exchange. Communications between telephone/data instruments located in geographic areas separated from one another and connected to different exchanges communicate with another by means of complex interconnections on both local exchanges and trunk exchanges linked together into a telecommunications network. Networks may take the form of a grouping of interconnected network elements, such as local exchanges, trunking exchanges, mobile radio exchanges, long distance exchanges, and combinations thereof. At each network level, traffic from one network element, such as an exchange, to another can take various routes through different exchanges.
Efficient network traffic management of the communications facilities within the network requires that a sufficient number of circuits are available to handle the traffic requirements to each destination without exaggerated congestion on last-choice routes. As a general rule, it also requires that the network congestion is as even as possible on all last-choice routes and that there not be any undue excess capacity within the circuits of the routes which are actually provided in order to assure efficient utilization of resources. In addition, the telephone administration which operates the network has a limited budget and must get as much efficiency as possible out of the existing resources in each network.
Despite attempts to balance network loading in a network, traffic patterns within the network can vary over a period of weeks or months when, for example, new hotels or new customers providing database services are added to an exchange forming part of the network. Similarly, traffic patterns usually vary over a period of days, for example, when an international sporting event lasting several days is held in a particular geographic area within the network. In addition, traffic patterns in a network commonly change in a cyclic pattern over 24 hours, since traffic increases during certain hours of the business day and decreases to virtually zero during certain hours of the night and early morning. Thus, given the network dimensioning necessary to handle the busy period loading of a network, it should be possible to more efficiently capitalize upon an operator""s investment in that network by utilizing it for other revenue generating services which require traffic capacity during its non-busy periods, e.g., the delivery of video on demand within the network market area during the evening and early morning hours.
Various systems have been employed to balance and adjust the traffic loading and congestion within telecommunications networks. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,359,649 issued Oct. 25, 1994, to Rosu, et. al. and assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and which is hereby incorporated by reference herein, a system is provided for optimizing the traffic carrying capacity of a network having a plurality of elements and a plurality of routes connecting those elements to one another.
In this system, congestion in a network is controlled by identifying and limiting defective devices and routes within the network which have exaggerated level of congestion. Disturbance alarm levels are adjusted within the network to allow increased traffic through it and the traffic is reconfigured in real time in response to the occurrence of network events in order to optimize the traffic carrying capacity of the network.
Despite such congestion balancing techniques, the available traffic carrying capacity on a network is always changing. Frequently substantial excess traffic carrying capacity within the network, which represents a very large investment on the part of the network operator, goes completely unused. Since a network operator""s need for utilization of existing capacity within his network is continuously fluctuating due to unpredictable growth and contraction in the number of customers utilizing the network and the types of services rendered through the network it is difficult to precisely anticipate excess capacity. Additionally, the operator""s need for traffic capacity fluctuates through the busy hours of everyday, as well as each week due, to work week/weekend patterns and throughout the months of the year due to vacation and holiday occurrences. This excess traffic carrying capacity could be made available by the operator to other operators who might require additional traffic carrying capacity at the same time another operator has that capacity available.
However, in order to make possible the identification and marketing of excess network traffic capacity, it would be necessary to provide a system for compiling and uniformly presenting available traffic capacity data to interested buyers in a totally operator independent fashion. In addition, such an approach in the handling of excess traffic carrying capacity would require a dedicated network to organize available capacity data and forward this data to a marketplace to implement a system of brokerage in such capacity. While most available switching systems in use today provide for monitoring, balancing and controlling network traffic using network traffic management systems and techniques such as that disclosed in the ""649 patent, they are unable to provide the kind of available capacity data necessary for the marketing of that capacity to interested buyers.
Certain systems are available for inventorying the existence c)f unused traffic capacity by means of switch and network audits, however, such systems are purely long-term in nature in that they require several months for an implementation cycle. Additionally, other systems, such as those discussed in the ""649 patent, are able to implement network performance review on more of a closed circuit real time basis; however, each such system is generally vendor specific and dedicated to monitoring of capacity within a single operator rather than the collection of data from various networks in an operator independent fashion in order to market available traffic handling capacity.
Systems have been developed for the electronic maintenance of databases containing product inventories from various vendors with the capability to search those databases based upon price, vendor, product specifications and/or availability. For example, see U. S. Pat. No. 4,992,940 to Dworkin. However, providing the ability for a single user to perform a computer search of a database for the purchase of a discrete product or service is a far cry from the real-time marketing of such an ephemeral commodity as network traffic capacity. Such capacity is constantly fluctuating and there are not only many vendors but also many potential buyers each of whom is competing with the others for the same capacity.
Another aspect of the potential marketing of excess traffic carrying capacity is that once that capacity is sold to a user, there must be a means for monitoring the continued availability of the capacity and ensuring that the buyer obtains what he has bargained for, by continuously supervising the available capacity in real time.
Part of a practical excess traffic capacity assessment marketing and assurance system would include the provision of a traffic capacity trading data set and forms for reporting such capacity for sale to potential buyers. Thus, there exists a need for a method and system for implementing such techniques and procedures for monitoring, assessing, and presenting excess traffic carrying capacity to potential buyers and then assuring that such a buyer receives the benefit of the capacity contracted for.
The invention relates to a dedicated overlay network for the monitoring and reporting of traffic, switching and signaling capacity within a network to enable potential buyers to obtain the benefit of excess capacity within the network. The invention includes a vendor independent network element positioned within the network for assessment, compilation, and unitary presentation of excess traffic capacity for sale to potential buyers.
In one aspect, the system of the present invention optimizes the utilization of network traffic carrying capacity by communicating information related to traffic capacity on various routes within said network to a dedicated network element. A plurality of network traffic capacity providers are connected to the dedicated network for making available to network element traffic carrying capacity on idle routes within their respective network elements. A plurality of traffic capacity users are also connected to the dedicated network element for utilizing available traffic carrying capacity within the traffic carrying network elements of the providers. A traffic capacity and brokerage administration center is connected to the dedicated network element for gathering data regarding the availability of traffic carrying capacity within the traffic carrying network elements of the providers, formatting those data in a usable form and presenting it to said traffic capacity users for possible purchase. Available traffic routes are interconnected from providers to purchasing users in response to purchase of traffic carrying capacity by a user.
In a further aspect, the present invention includes optimizing the utilization of available traffic carrying routes within a network by gathering information related to available traffic carrying capacity on various routes within the network elements of traffic capacity providers within the network. The gathered information related to available traffic carrying capacity is organized and formatted and furnished to a plurality of traffic capacity users. The purchase of available traffic carrying capacity by one or more of the users is brokered and the delivery of access to the purchased traffic carrying capacity of providers by said purchaser user(s) is arranged. Additionally, the availability of traffic carrying capacity purchased by a user may be monitored to ensure that the purchased capacity is received.